Wrathgate: What Happened at Angrathar

The Wrathgate was the joint Alliance and Horde attack on the gate of Icecrown, at Angrathar, and it ended in betrayal: the Lich King killed Dranosh Saurfang, and Putress's Forsaken dropped a plague on everyone, living and dead. Bolvar Fordragon fell on the field, was given up for dead, and the fragile peace between the factions ended right there.

In the game, the full name of the place is Angrathar the Wrathgate (the achievement is "Veteran of the Wrathgate"). Here we just call it the Wrathgate.

What is the Wrathgate (Angrathar)?

Angrathar the Wrathgate is in northwest Dragonblight. It is a saronite wall, covered in sharp spikes, that seals the way into Icecrown Citadel.

Anyone who wanted to reach the Lich King by land had to go through there. That is why the Wrathgate became the target of the first big strike against the Scourge.

On either side of the gate stood the faction bases:

• Fordragon Hold, the Alliance base.
• Kor'kron Vanguard, the Horde base.

For the context of the whole zone, see the previous post in the series: Dragonblight: the story of the zone.

Who's who at the Wrathgate

| Character | Side | Role in the battle | | --- | --- | --- | | Bolvar Fordragon | Alliance | Highlord, commander of the Valiance Expedition at Angrathar | | Dranosh Saurfang | Horde | "Saurfang the Younger", son of Varok Saurfang, commander of the Kor'kron Vanguard | | Lich King (Arthas) | Scourge | Comes out of the gate and faces both armies | | Grand Apothecary Putress | Forsaken (traitor) | Releases the New Plague on the field | | Alexstrasza and Korialstrasz | Red dragonflight | The red dragons burn away the plague | | Varimathras | Dreadlord | Behind Putress, seizes Undercity |

How the Horde and the Alliance got there together

The Alliance landed in Northrend through the Borean Tundra and the Howling Fjord. The Horde did the same. Both pushed the Scourge inland until they met in northern Dragonblight.

There was a truce there, with no full trust on either side. But Bolvar and Dranosh had a mutual, somewhat grudging respect, and that was enough for the two armies to fight side by side.

Dranosh wore his father Varok Saurfang's armor and wielded his axe. It was the first big battle in which the Alliance and the Horde fought together, and not against each other.

What happened at the Wrathgate?

The attack

The Alliance attacked first, with Bolvar on the front line. The gate opened and released frost vrykul, who charged shouting in their own language.

Then the Horde arrived. Dranosh rode in with the wolf riders and the cry "Lok-tar ogar!". The line held. Together, the two armies destroyed the Scourge force and regrouped in front of the fortress.

The Lich King appears

Bolvar challenged the Lich King to come out. And he did. Arthas appeared at the gate, with more undead rising around him, and answered Bolvar's accusations with threats. He promised to show them "the justice of the grave".

The death of Dranosh Saurfang

Dranosh did not wait. He charged the Lich King. Arthas shattered his axe and killed him with one blow of Frostmourne. The sword devoured the orc's soul.

To understand why this sword is so feared, read Frostmourne and the story of the Lich King.

Putress's betrayal

That is when everything turned. At the top of a cliff above the field appeared Grand Apothecary Putress, leader of the Royal Apothecary Society, the apothecaries of the Forsaken.

He asked: "Did you think we had forgotten?". And he announced the Forsaken's revenge. Catapults hurled barrels of the New Plague across the whole field. The green cloud killed Alliance, Horde and Scourge soldiers, without picking sides.

Even the Lich King was hit. He fell back into the citadel, saying it was not over. Putress left soon after.

According to the wiki, the Alliance lost more soldiers to the plague than to the battle. In total, there were almost 5,000 Alliance dead and more than 4,000 Horde dead.

The red dragons

Bolvar ordered his soldiers to retreat, but he fell, caught in the gas. At that moment the red dragons arrived, coming from Wyrmrest Temple.

They breathed fire over the whole field. The flames destroyed the catapults, the plague clouds and most of the Forsaken who were still there. Then the dragons returned to the temple.

Did Bolvar die at the Wrathgate?

No, but everyone thought he did. His body disappeared. The Alliance survivors only recovered Bolvar's shield, which was returned to King Varian Wrynn.

The truth only came out much later. The dragonfire burned away the plague and the infected flesh, and Bolvar was charred, but he did not die. The Scourge collected his body on the Lich King's orders and took it into Icecrown. There, Arthas tortured him to break his will. Bolvar did not give in.

The red dragons knew this, but they did not tell anyone. Only in the final assault on Icecrown Citadel do the heroes find Bolvar bound in chains above the Frozen Throne. What comes next, when Arthas falls, is summed up in the Wrath of the Lich King lore hub.

Who killed Bolvar?

No one killed Bolvar at the Wrathgate. What brought him down was Putress's plague. What "burned" him were the red dragons, and it was those flames that saved him, even though they left marks forever.

What happened to Dranosh afterward

The Scourge also collected Dranosh's body. The Lich King raised him as his most powerful death knight: Deathbringer Saurfang. He guards the upper part of Icecrown Citadel and fights his former allies until he is defeated.

After the fight, Varok Saurfang claims his son's body. The scene is one of the saddest in the expansion. Varok says his son earned a warrior's death, "and once again, it is denied me".

If you play a Death Knight, read who the death knights are after Arthas.

Who betrayed whom at the Wrathgate: Putress, Varimathras and Sylvanas

Putress did not act alone. Right after the battle it became clear that he was following orders from the dreadlord Varimathras. Together with some members of the Royal Apothecary Society, he betrayed Sylvanas and seized Undercity. Sylvanas nearly died in the Apothecarium.

Sylvanas's part in it is still debated today. The wiki records two things:

• Sylvanas had ordered Putress to create the plague, and wanted it to kill the Scourge too.
• In the book World of Warcraft: Sylvanas, she authorizes the plague and orders it used against Arthas if there was a chance.

In other words: the weapon was Sylvanas's, but its use at the Wrathgate, against the living, was part of Varimathras and Putress's coup. To understand who the Forsaken are and why they hated Arthas so much, read the fall of Lordaeron and the birth of the Forsaken.

The consequences of the Wrathgate

The damage went far beyond the battlefield:

• War at home. Thrall, with Sylvanas and Vol'jin, went to retake Undercity. Varian, with Jaina Proudmoore, also attacked the city. That fight is the Battle for Undercity, and you can read all about it in the next post in the series.
• Declaration of war. After Undercity, the Alliance and the Horde officially declared war.
• Kor'kron in Undercity. Thrall left Bragor Bloodfist's Kor'kron in the city to keep watch on the Forsaken.
• A new front against the Lich King. With the factions fighting each other, the Argent Crusade and the Ebon Blade took the lead of the attack. See the Argent Crusade, the Ebon Blade and the fall of the Lich King.
• Distrust. Later, Varian uses the Wrathgate as a reason to refuse Horde help against Yogg-Saron. Want to know more about the king? Read Varian Wrynn, the lost king.

Where to see it in WotLK

In 3.3.5a, the whole story is in the Dragonblight quests:

• Alliance: start with "To Fordragon Hold!" and talk to Highlord Bolvar Fordragon at Fordragon Hold. The chain goes through "Into Hostile Territory", "Audience With The Dragon Queen", "Galakrond and the Scourge" and "On Ruby Wings".
• Horde: the chain starts with Overlord Agmar, at Agmar's Hammer, who sends you to Saurfang the Younger at the Kor'kron Vanguard, and goes through "Audience With The Dragon Queen", "Galakrond and the Scourge" and "On Ruby Wings".
• The climax: "Return To Angrathar", given by Alexstrasza. When you complete it, the Wrathgate cinematic plays.
• After the battle: Alexstrasza and Korialstrasz stay on the burning field. Talk to her to watch the cinematic again.
• The follow-up: on the Alliance side come "Reborn From The Ashes", "Fate, Up Against Your Will", "A Royal Coup", "The Killing Time" and "The Battle For The Undercity". On the Horde side, "Darkness Stirs" leads down the same path. (These quests were removed in Cataclysm, but they exist in WotLK.)
• Achievement: "Veteran of the Wrathgate".
• The end of the story: Deathbringer Saurfang and Bolvar appear in Icecrown Citadel.

Other good chains are on the list of WotLK quest chains worth reading for the story. And if you are leveling in Northrend, the guide to reaching level 80 in less time helps you fit Dragonblight into your route.

Read more:

• The story of Wrath of the Lich King
• Dragonblight: the story of the zone
• The Battle for Undercity
• The story of the Lich King and Arthas

Frequently asked questions

What is the full name of the Wrathgate?

In the game, it is Angrathar the Wrathgate. Angrathar is the name of the gate itself, and the Wrathgate is how everyone knows it.

Did Bolvar die at the Wrathgate?

No. He fell to the plague and was burned by the red dragons' fire. Everyone thought he had died, but the Scourge took his body to Icecrown, where the Lich King tortured him.

Who killed Saurfang at the Wrathgate?

The Lich King killed Dranosh Saurfang with Frostmourne. Later, he raised the orc as Deathbringer Saurfang.

Who dropped the plague at the Wrathgate?

Grand Apothecary Putress, of the Forsaken's Royal Apothecary Society. He acted on the orders of Varimathras, who seized Undercity in the same coup.

Did Sylvanas betray the Horde at the Wrathgate?

She ordered the plague to be created, but the attack at the Wrathgate was part of Varimathras and Putress's coup. How much she knew is still debated.